Katie Couric's interview with Manti Te'o gave her freshman talk show its best ratings yet, placing it at the top of its time slot in the top markets of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Her show, 'Katie,' which debuted last September, pulled in a 2.6 household rating for Thursday's show, meaning 2.6 percent of all households with televisions were tuned in to the interview. That number is up from 1.9 percent form Wednesday's show and it represents a 30 percent boost over the prior four-week average.

Thursday's show was the Notre Dame football star's first on-camera interview since it was revealed that his supposed deceased girlfriend was an elaborate Internet hoax.

Duped: Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. A lawyer claims the footballer had phone conversations with a hoaxer pretending to be his girlfriend

During the interview, Couric brought up the possibility that he
may have been involved in a sexual affair and made up girlfriend
'Lennay Kekua' as a cover.

She then asked the football star point blank: 'Are you gay?'

Cracking a smile, Te'o responded: 'No. Far from it. Far from it.'

He also vehemently denied any involvement in the hoax, saying that he believed Kekua to be dead until he received a mysterious phone call on December 6 saying that she had not died of leukemia as he had believed.

Pressed by Couric to admit that he
was in on the deception, Te'o said he believed Kekua had died from the cancer.

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'You stuck to the script. And you knew that something was amiss, Manti,' the talk show host said.

He
replied: 'Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told
me that she died on September 12. Everybody knew that. This girl, who I
committed myself to, died on September 12.'

The
Heisman Trophy runner-up said he only learned of the hoax when he
received a phone call in early December from a woman saying she was Kekua.

Te'o told Couric: 'From December 6 to January 16, my whole reality is that she was dead
and she was suddenly alive.'

Duped: Appearing alongside Te'o were his parents, Brian and Ottilia Te'o, who said that they too were victims of the elaborate hoax

Emotions: Te'o fought back tears as he spoke about his desire to make his father proud

It wasn't until Deadspin.com reported the hoax that he finally learned the truth.

He said he had
'known' Kekua though Twitter and Facebook and he was drawn to her by the
fact that she was Polynesian, loved her faith and 'knew a lot' about
his Mormon beliefs.

MANTI, IN HIS OWN WORDS

On whether he's involved in hoax: 'No, I did not. I think what people done't realize is that the same day everybody found out about the situation, I found out.'

On speaking about girlfriend's death after 'Lennay' called him: 'I wasn’t as forthcoming as I should've been.'

Most regrettable action: 'I think the biggest lie that I am sorry for is the lie that I told my dad.'

On family: 'The hardest thing of this experience is to see my family go through this - because of something I did.'

First impression of 'Lennay': She just seemed nice. From the pictures she seemed very beautiful

On phone call from Lennay after he thought she was dead: 'I was angry, to say the least.'

On what he would say if he saw Roanaiah Tuiasosopo: 'I would just say you hurt me.'On NFL future: 'I hope and pray that good happens, but as long as my family is OK.'

The interview took an emotional turn as he was joined by his parents Brian and Ottilia.

Speaking
of the day they learned of the ruse - Christmas - his mother told
Couric: It took [Manti] a while to say it. He said Lennay's alive. It
came as a complete and utter shock.'

'The deception wasn’t only with Manti. It was our family.

Brian Te'o added: 'It hurts. That’s my child out there. That’s my child in my eyes. Always puts others before himself. And he did exactly what I would expect a responsible respectable young man to do. I'm proud of his character. It just hurts to see his picture and his name being displayed as someone who is dishonest.'

Fighting tears, Manti said: 'The greatest joy in any child’s life is to make your parents proud. The greatest pain is to know that they’re experiencing this pain is because of you.'

When asked how the scandal may affect his prospective NFL career, Te'o told Couric that he would 'hope and pray' for good news, but the most important thing is that 'my family is OK.'

Before the show aired, Te'o's attorney released
voicemails of the woman the football star knew to be Kekua, his tragic
girlfriend first thought to be dead, then alive and now non-existent.

The three recordings show different
sides of Kekua, who is purported to be voiced by Tino Tuiasosopo, the female cousin of the scheme's alleged mastermind, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.

The footballer had intimate conversations with Tuiasosopo, which were said to have cemented the Te'o's relationship with Kekua, despite the pair never meeting.

Family: Te'o's parents, Brian and Ottilia, told Couric that the deception was felt by the whole family, not just Manti

Revelations: On the day that the Deadspin story was published, Tuiasosopo sent Te'o a Twitter message pledging to tell him 'everything'

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo is thought to have invented Lennay based on pictures stolen from Diane O'Meara, a high school classmate of his.

Mr Grimes added: 'This wasn’t a prank to make fun. It was establishing a communication with someone.

'It was a person with a troubled existence trying to reach out and communicate and have a relationship.'

In the first voicemail, 'Lennay' says that she is calling from her first chemotherapy appointment.

'Just wanted to call you and keep you posted ... I miss you, I love you ... bye.'

In the second voicemail, a different side of Kekua is heard after she had apparently called Te'o and another woman answered the phone.

'It sounded like a woman. If he somehow made that voice, that's incredible.'- Manti Te'o

'This is my last time trying,' she says. 'You made it clear what you want. Take care.'

After they had 'made up' from that dispute, a third call is placed on September 11, the day before she 'died.'

She says: 'I just want to say I love you and goodnight and I’ll be okay tonight.'

According to reports, Tuiasosopo's resume includes vocal and dramatic training, while he was president of his high school drama club and performs with a Christian band.

After the voicemails were played by Couric, Te'o said:'Well, it didn’t sound like a man. It sounded like a woman.
If [Ronaiah Tuiasosopo] somehow made that voice, that’s incredible.'

Mr Grimes insisted that former high school football star Tuiasosopo, 22, was not trying to hurt or humiliate Te'o.

The Notre Dame footballer was pictured yesterday running football drills at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Posing: Lawyer Milton Grimes said the linebacker thought he was talking to fictitious online girlfriend Lennay Kekua, who was posing as Ronaiah Tuiasosopo

Breaking down: Manti Te'o appears to have cried during the interview which will air in full on Thursday

One-on-one: The highly anticipated interview took place on Tuesday and aired on Thursday

Te'o's
father defended his son when Couric pointed out that many people don't
believe the football star, suspecting he used the situation for personal
gain.

'People can
speculate about what they think he is. I've known him 21 years of his
life. And he's not a liar. He's a kid,' Brian Te'o said with tears in
his eyes.

On Tuesday, the woman whose photo was
used as the 'face' of the Twitter account of Te'o's supposed girlfriend
says the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her.

Unmasked: Diane O'Meara told NBC's Today show that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua

Diane O'Meara told NBC's Today show that Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua.

Pictures that Miss O'Meara had posted on Facebook and Instagram were used in the elaborate hoax, which she says is a case of identity theft.

She added: 'It's very bizarre and it's a very twisted and confusing scenario.'

'In the past five years, [Tuiasosopo has] literally been stalking my Facebook and stealing my photos.'

While Tuiasosopo has since called her
and expressed regret over the situation she was thrown into, Miss
O'Meara says there's little he can do to make it better.

'Ronaiah
has called and I know he has confessed but he has also apologized. But I
don't think there's anything he can say to me that would fix this.'

The highly-anticipated Couric interview was technically the second time that Te'o has spoken publicly since the
scandal broke.

The standout
football player gave an off-camera interview with ESPN on Friday night
that reportedly lasted for more than two-and-a-half hours.

He insisted that he was the victim of the hoax and not a participant.

He
admitted it was 'crazy' that he had a purely online relationship with a
girl but denied he was part of the con to gain publicity for his
burgeoning football career at the college.

'No. Never,' Te'o said in an interview Friday night with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap, 'I wasn't faking it. I wasn't part of this.'

Fake and original: The picture used by the
hoaxers as the face of Lennay Kekua, left, was taken from this original
photograph of Diane O'Meara, 23, a marketing executive living in Los
Angeles

Fake: The Twitter account of Lennay Kekua with Diane's pictures has been exposed as completely false

Facing the truth: Manti Te'o, who has had just one interview since the news broke that his girlfriend was a hoax, will sit down with Katie Couric in a show airing Thursday

TALE OF THE TAPE: VOICEMAILS LEFT BY 'LENNAY KEKUA'

VOICEMAIL NO. 1: Hi hun, just letting you know We just got here and I'm getting ready my for my first session. Just wanted to call you and keep you posted ... I miss you, I love you ... bye.'

VOICEMAIL NO. 2: 'I don't know who answered your phone... and I don't care.''This is my last time trying... you made it clear what you want. Take care.'

VOICEMAIL NO. 3: 'Hey babe, I’m just calling to say goodnight. I love you.I know that you’re probably doing homework or you’re with the boys, or a girl maybe, just razzing. I just want to say I love you and goodnight and I’ll be okay tonight, I’ll do my best. Umm... yeah, so get your rest and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you so much hun, sweet dreams.'

LISTEN TO THE VOICEMAILS HERE
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